The American Transportation Research Institute said research into truck parking has resulted in a public truck parking dashboard showing every state’s public truck parking capacity at rest areas.
The ATRI, in collaboration with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), surveyed state Departments of Transportation to generate the dashboard that shows not only how many parking spots are available, but also the rest area amenities and safety features. The metrics evaluated in the dashboard take into consideration differences in state size, road mileage and proximity to major freight routes, officials said. The dashboard includes data from 47 participating states.
“State DOTs strive to deliver the most safe, effective, and efficient transportation network possible; as a result, they continue to pursue a wide range of investments that enhance the nation’s multimodal freight system,” Shayne Gill, program director for multimodal transportation for AASHTO, said. “Addressing truck parking needs across the country is one of those investments crucial to ensuring we maximize the benefits our highway system provides. American quality of life and economic mobility depend in large part on the quality and vibrancy of our transportation infrastructure to connect people as well as goods to their destinations safely. And adequate truck parking is key to ensuring we achieve those goals.”
A lack of truck parking has been an industry issue for some time and is an issue receiving increased attention at state and federal levels. Officials estimate there is one truck parking space for every 11 truck drivers nationally. As part of its research, ATRI collected data on issues and costs surrounding land acquisition, parking space construction, maintenance budgets and amenities offered to truck drivers. Nationally, the average rest area has 19 truck parking spaces which varies by region – in the South, rest areas average 25 truck parking spaces while in the northeast, rest areas average 15 per rest area.